A Girlfriend's Guide To Powerlifting

Making Sense of Nutrition: Shona Hughes
Since protein contains 4kcal per gram, to find out how much of your daily
calorie requirement this uses up, you need to multiply your intake by 4. To
continue with the numbers in the previous examples, if our 160lb athlete
(who burns an average of 2,100kcal per day), wishes to gain mass, they
might use the following calculations to determine their needs:
1. Daily requirement of 2,500kcal to 2,700kcal for moderate
weight gain.
2. Daily protein requirement of approximately 128g of protein
(160lbsx0.8).
3. Protein uses up 512kcal (128gx4) which leaves 1,988kcal to
2,188kcal for carbs and fats.
Carbs contain 4kcal per gram whereas fats
contain 9kcal per gram so, many powerlifters
tend to utilise and higher carb intake because
not only is it your body’s most easily accessible
energy source, but you can eat more of them.
However, fats are used for growth and
development, nutrient absorption and hormone
regulation so shouldn’t be neglected. Particularly
for women, dietary fats are incredibly important,
so the misconception that fat-free products are
“better for you” isn’t necessarily true… Even if
you are dieting.
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7 8 9
4 5 6 x
1 2 3 -
0 . + =
With all that said, tracking macros and calorie intake can require a lot
of maths which is not suitable for athletes with busy lives as it is not
necessarily compatible with lifestyle factors such as studying, working
and socialising. To accommodate for this, some strength athletes use
apps or programs to monitor their nutrition and others choose to eat
intuitively while making a conscious effort to include a source of protein,
carbs and fats with every meal.
It is helpful to be armed with this information though because, once
training is also optimised, you really can eat your way to success!
Written By Shona Hughes
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